LAS VEGAS – Canadian actor Michael J Fox received a huge standing ovation by delegates at the National Association of Broadcasters annual convention as he received the organization’s Distinguished Service Award.
Fox was already an established TV (Family Ties, Spin City) and movie star (Back to the Future, Stuart Little) when he was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991.
In 1998 Fox made that known to the public and his life as an advocate and fundraiser for Parkinson’s Disease is very well known.
In 2000 he founded The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which has funded more than $175 million for Parkinson’s research to date.
His best-selling second book, Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, was published in April 2009 by Hyperion, with a highly rated and Emmy-nominated companion primetime special hosted by Fox airing on ABC-TV the following month. His best-selling 2002 memoir, Lucky Man, has been translated into seven languages, and the audio version received a 2002 Grammy award nomination. He is currently at work on a third book, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned, to be published in spring 2010.
Fox (pictured) also remains in demand as an actor. In September 2009 he received his fifth Emmy award for his portrayal of Dwight, an embittered, drug-addicted paraplegic, in a multi-episode guest arc on Denis Leary’s FX network drama Rescue Me.
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As for the rest of the Canadian content, much of it can be found at the Canadian Suite at the Flamingo Hotel. Almost 100 companies (including Cartt.ca) help sponsor the suite, which is open for three evenings. Pictured from last night are (from left) Corus Entertainment’s Gord Lee, Canoe Ventures Chris Lepine and Astral Media’s Chris Bell.
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Out on the show floor, a large number of Canadian companies are exhibiting their new, improved, and tried and true products. Below are snaps of the Canadian booths we happened to come across in our travels today, with links to their sites.
